We gratefully acknowledge the following seed companies who generously donated services to help support the Rediscover the Jersey Tomato project: Harris Seeds, Seedway, and Seeds of Change.

Also, thanks to the Rutgers Master Gardener volunteers from Monmouth and Middlesex Counties who have provided hours of service assisting the program.

Rediscovering the Jersey Tomato

Jersey Tomato Varieties

The classic old time Jersey Tomatoes were a portfolio of varieties that did well under New Jersey's climatic conditions in a different range of soils and ripening at different times of the season. Three of the many old time varieties are highlighted here. Two popular Jersey tomato varieties, Ramapo and Rutgers tomatoes were developed at Rutgers NJAES. Read about how our project brought back both the Ramapo and Moreton tomatoes (an early season favorite developed by Harris Seeds) which had disappeared from the market. KC-146, an old Campbell's processing tomato with incredible flavor has been added to our classic Jersey tomato selection. Read about ithere.

Note: These varieties also grow well in most regions throughout the US.

Few foods muster as much discrimination in the American palate as the tomato. Bland tasting tomatoes have become such a mainstream commodity that they are universally referred to as "cardboard" or "plastic" tomatoes. On the other end of that spectrum, the one held in highest regard for its epic taste, has been the Jersey Tomato.

And while New Jersey farm markets continue to provide consumers with beautiful vine-ripened Jersey Tomatoes, an undercurrent of dialogue is taking place across the State: "The Jersey Tomatoes don't taste like they used to" or "What happened to that old-fashioned tangy flavor?".

Well, the researchers at Rutgers NJAES have heard the rumblings and have decided to do something about it. What happened to that old time flavor and what can we do to get it back? Find out here what our Jersey Tomato working group is doing to bring back that old time Jersey Tomato flavor - from field and taste testing the old tomato varieties, bringing back a favorite - the Rutgers-developed Ramapo Tomato, to soil fertility research and breeding of new open-pollinated varieties.